State may follow Westchester's salary history law

The bill would prohibit employers in Westchester from asking job candidates about what they were paid in previous jobs.
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Westchester County Executive George Latimer, pictured in the press briefing room in his office in White Plains, Jan. 10, 2018. Latimer signed a law that bars businesses from asking potential employees their salary history.(Photo: Mark Lungariello/The Journal news)Buy Photo

The law was portrayed by legislature Democrats as a civil rights measure that could narrow the gender and racial wage gap. Cuomo said Tuesday the state should take similar action, calling New York the birthplace of the women’s rights movement.

“The gender pay gap exists across the economic spectrum, across all industries, and can follow women throughout their entire careers,” Cuomo said in a statement. “By banning salary history, we can break the weight of this unfair, unequal cycle and work to achieve fair pay for all women in this state.”

Similar legislation made it through the state Assembly last year but never made it to vote in the state Senate. Cuomo signed an executive order last year that prohibited state agencies from using salary history in evaluating candidates.

The governor’s push comes after a report from the American Association of University Women that showed New York had the smallest gender wage gap in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Women make 89 cents on the dollar compared to men in New York, the report said. Nationwide, women make 80 cents on the dollar compared to men, according to the report.